Sir Kenny Dalglish: Jurgen and his Liverpool players pulled it off, as I thought they would, but Barcelona showed all of their class

Jurgen Klopp is an exceptional manager and a wonderful person.

You need to have so many qualities to become a successful Liverpool manager.

One doesn’t go without the other. It must be a package.

But Klopp didn’t need to buy into the ethos of the Anfield club when he arrived in October, 2015.

He already possessed the qualities I have referred to.

For decades, Liverpool Football Club has been built on teamwork and sharing successes.

Bill Shankly started it and it was carried on by the guys I played for, Bob Paisley – who signed me – and Joe Fagan.

There’s been a generation of Liverpool fans that has missed out on continued success.

But they are seeing something now that may turn out to be quite special.

If there are success stories, Jurgen isn’t one for wanting to take the plaudits.

He knows it’s a collective effort, and he is the first to acknowledge that.

The Liverpool supporters absolutely love him and rightly so.

Jurgen is also great at making time for people. If he can sit down for a cup of tea with you, then he will.

I’ve enjoyed his company over a cuppa on a good few occasions.

That’s why he is popular and respected. There is a humility there.

Jurgen knows all about the club’s history, and about the players from the past who have helped bring success to Liverpool.

That feeds into the current squad, and you can see that by the way they play and their desire to succeed.

Last Tuesday night at Anfield was a case in point.

Being there to witness Liverpool defeating Barcelona 4-0 to reach the Champions League Final was one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had in football.

As the fourth goal went in and then the final whistle blew, there was a surreal feeling about it all.

But, thankfully, it was all very much taking place. It was just hard to believe it had really happened.

Yet, as I wrote on this page last Sunday (above), I genuinely believed there was a chance for Jurgen and the players to pull it off.

I stated there was a glimmer of hope because the 3-0 scoreline at the Nou Camp was a false reflection on the run of play.

Liverpool were stronger and fitter in Spain in the first leg, and it was the same again in the return.

They deserved to win and can now look forward to the Final at the Wanda Metropolitano against Tottenham in Madrid on June 1.

But let me pay tribute to the Barca supporters for the way they conducted themselves during and after the game.

They cheered their team from first to last. Even at 4-0, they urged their men on because they knew one goal would be enough to take them into the Final on the away-goals rule.

However, thankfully, that goal never came and Liverpool emerged victorious. But the Barca fans still, stayed behind and applauded the Liverpool players off the park.

Likewise, in the boardroom after the match, the club hierarchy showed a real touch of class when they congratulated Liverpool on the result.

Their president, Josep Bartomeu, was fulsome in his praise. Credit to him.

And what about Tottenham 24 hours later?

For them to come back from a three-goal deficit to score three goals in the second half at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam was exceptional.

No wonder Mauricio Pochettino was in tears at the final whistle.

He deserves this success and credit to him, his staff and his players.

It has all the makings of a classic game in Madrid.

World football will witness two fantastic coaches going head-to-head in the showpiece occasion of European club football.

Before all that, of course, we have the finale to what has been a fantastic race to win the English Premier League title

It’s in Manchester City’s hands and they will be confident of getting the result they need away to Brighton.

All Liverpool can do is beat Wolves at home and take it from there.

Regardless of the outcome, it will not be a case of one side losing the league.

Both have performed exceptionally well and are a credit to the game of football for being so consistent throughout the past nine months.

It’s still very much all to play for and, after the drama of the past six days, who would be foolish enough to write off a few twists and turns this afternoon?

Not me, that’s for sure.